Sonali Kulkarni on Playing Salman Khan’s Mother Despite Being 9 Years Younger: “I Can’t Be Playing This Role”

Bollywood has often surprised audiences with unconventional casting choices, but few examples have generated as much curiosity as Sonali Kulkarni playing Salman Khan’s mother in the 2019 film Bharat. The unusual aspect was not the performance itself, but the fact that Kulkarni is nine years younger than Khan in real life.

Now, years after the film’s release, Sonali Kulkarni has opened up about how she reacted when the role was first offered to her. In a recent conversation with SCREEN Spotlight, the actress revealed that her immediate response was one of disbelief. She reportedly told the casting team, “I can’t be playing this role.”

The decision ultimately became an interesting chapter in Kulkarni’s long acting career, demonstrating how performers sometimes have to look beyond their real-life age and physical appearance to serve the requirements of a story.

Sonali Kulkarni Initially Questioned the Casting

When Sonali Kulkarni was approached to play Janki Devi, the mother of Salman Khan’s character Bharat, she was understandably hesitant. The age difference between the two actors made the casting appear unusual.

However, director Ali Abbas Zafar and casting director Mukesh Chhabra were reportedly convinced that Kulkarni was the right person for the part. Rather than treating the character simply as the mother of an adult superstar, they looked at the larger narrative and the importance of the character in the film’s flashback sequences.

Kulkarni eventually understood their reasoning. She explained that the flashbacks were essential to the story because they helped establish Bharat’s identity, his childhood and the experiences that shaped his personality.

That perspective changed the way she looked at the role.

Instead of focusing entirely on the real-life age difference, the actress decided to approach the character as an acting challenge. Her decision highlights an important aspect of cinema: casting is not always about matching an actor’s real-life age with the age of a character.

Why the Flashback Was So Important in Bharat

Directed and co-written by Ali Abbas Zafar, Bharat follows the life of its central character across several decades. Salman Khan portrays Bharat at different stages of his life, while the story moves through different periods of Indian history.

Sonali Kulkarni’s character is particularly important during the earlier portion of the narrative. The flashback material establishes Bharat’s family background and provides emotional context for his later decisions.

According to Kulkarni, the flashback sequences were essentially the backbone of the story. Without those scenes, audiences would lose an important understanding of why Bharat behaves the way he does later in life.

This was one of the main reasons the filmmakers remained confident about casting Kulkarni despite the unusual age difference.

The actress eventually accepted that the director and casting director were taking responsibility for their creative decision. She reportedly reasoned that filmmakers would not deliberately choose someone they believed was unsuitable for an important role.

Working With Salman Khan

Another factor that made the project attractive to Kulkarni was the opportunity to work with Salman Khan.

The actress later recalled her experience on the Bharat set positively. She said she and Khan bonded well during filming and praised the superstar for the way he treated people around him.

Kulkarni described Khan as gracious and suggested that his behavior toward others was something people could learn from.

She even recalled a lighthearted moment when Salman reportedly allowed her to use his bicycle. For an actor working opposite one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, such small gestures can make a demanding film set feel more comfortable.

Interestingly, Kulkarni also clarified that she did not have extensive scenes with Salman’s older version of Bharat. Much of her interaction was with the child actor portraying young Bharat.

That distinction is important because it explains why the age-gap issue may have been less visually challenging within the actual structure of the film.

The Role Was Also Financially Rewarding

While artistic challenges were clearly important to Sonali Kulkarni, she was also candid about the financial side of the decision.

The actress revealed that she was paid very well for her work in Bharat. For a performer, remuneration is naturally one of the practical considerations when accepting a project, especially when the role requires stepping outside conventional expectations.

Her comments offer a refreshingly straightforward perspective. An actor can have creative reservations about a role while still recognizing its professional and financial value.

In Kulkarni’s case, the combination of an important character, the opportunity to work with major Bollywood personalities and good remuneration ultimately made the project worthwhile.

Sonali Kulkarni Praises Katrina Kaif

Kulkarni also remembered the atmosphere on the Bharat set fondly and spoke positively about Katrina Kaif, who played Kumud Raina, Bharat’s love interest.

The veteran actress was particularly impressed by Kaif’s dancing abilities and described her as graceful and beautiful. Her comments suggest that despite the initial uncertainty surrounding her own casting, the overall experience of working on Bharat was enjoyable.

The film featured a large ensemble cast, including Disha Patani, Sunil Grover, Tabu, Jackie Shroff and Nora Fatehi alongside Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif.

A Larger Conversation About Bollywood Casting

Sonali Kulkarni’s experience also raises broader questions about age and casting in Indian cinema.

It is not unusual for Bollywood to cast actors in roles that do not correspond precisely with their real-life ages. Makeup, costumes, visual effects, editing and performance can all help create characters from different generations.

Kulkarni herself had previously played a mother to Hrithik Roshan in Mission Kashmir, despite their unusual real-life age relationship. Her career therefore provides another example of how performers can be asked to cross conventional age boundaries.

The discussion becomes particularly interesting because actresses are often expected to transition into mother roles earlier than male stars are expected to age on screen. Such casting choices continue to generate debate among audiences and industry observers.

At the same time, Kulkarni’s response demonstrates another side of the issue: an experienced actor can choose to treat an unconventional role as an opportunity rather than simply reject it.

Bharat Remains a Memorable Career Chapter

Released in 2019, Bharat became a major commercial success and reportedly earned more than ₹325 crore worldwide. The film combined family drama, romance, historical events and Salman Khan’s star power.

For Sonali Kulkarni, however, the film is remembered for more than its box-office performance. It became an example of how an actor can initially question a casting decision and eventually turn it into a professional challenge.

Her statement that she initially felt she “can’t be playing this role” captures the unusual nature of the offer. But her eventual acceptance shows the importance of trusting a filmmaker’s vision when there is a strong narrative reason behind an unconventional casting decision.

Ultimately, Sonali Kulkarni’s experience in Bharat is a reminder that cinema does not always follow real-life mathematics. On screen, age can be transformed through storytelling, performance and filmmaking. What matters most is whether the actor can make audiences believe in the character.

In Kulkarni’s case, the answer was ultimately yes. Despite being nine years younger than Salman Khan in real life, she stepped into the role of his mother, embraced the challenge and walked away with a positive experience—both artistically and professionally.